CHAPTER XIV 



PRODUCTION AND TESTING OF ANTITOXINS 



DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN 



IN spite of the great advances in our theoretical knowledge of 

 antibodies, gained during the last three decades, extensive thera- 

 peutic application has been made of the antitoxins only. Pre- 

 eminent among these from a practical point of view are the anti- 

 toxins against diphtheria and tetanus toxin. For diphtheria, careful 

 statistical studies have demonstrated, beyond doubt, the therapeutic 

 value of the serum treatment. Biggs and Guerard, in a general 

 statistical review, arrived at the conclusion that the death rate of 

 diphtheria had been reduced fifty per cent by the use of antitoxin. 

 Approximately the same estimate is made by Dieudonne 1 who studied 

 almost 10,000 treated cases. 



Production of Diphtheria Antitoxin. The methods for producing 

 diphtheria antitoxin vary only in minor technical details. The first 

 requisite for successful antitoxin production is the possession of a 

 strong toxin. The various means of obtaining this are outlined in 

 the section on diphtheria toxin. The toxin used should be of such 

 potency that less than 0.1 c.c. will kill a guinea-pig of 250 grams 

 weight in four to five days. 2 



For experimental purposes, goats or sheep may be used for 

 immunization ; for antitoxin production on a large scale, horses have 

 been found to be the most useful animals. The horses should be 

 young, four to six years old, vigorous, and healthy. It is advisable 

 that they be subjected to the mallein test to exclude possible infec- 

 tion with glanders. 



The toxin injections are made subcutaneously. Because of the 

 differences in susceptibility noted in various horses, it is advisable 

 that the first doses of toxin should be either very small or weakened 



1 Dieudonne, Arb. a. d. kais. Gesundheitsamt, 1895 and 1897. 

 2 Park, "Pathog. Bacteria and Protozoa," N. Y., 1908. 



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